


Safe and Sound

by TitanExpert



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, F/M, High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 08:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanExpert/pseuds/TitanExpert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hanji Zoe, a senior attending Maria's Academy for the Gifted, is plagued with dreams and nightmares of a world far different from hers. Fighting a species called titans and speaking to a man named Levi. As a student transfers to her school, Hanji begins to wonder why her dreams felt so real and why she was meeting someone the same age as her named Levi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dreams and The Reality

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Memos-from-Heichou for the title OTL

The expedition wasn’t going as well as anyone could have hoped. Causalities were already past the expected average. If Erwin didn’t call for a retreat soon, the Scouting Legion would cease to exist. Half eaten bodies littered the now tainted grass beneath her as she watched. Her breathing was heavy and she wiped the sweat off her forehead. The soldiers down below called for help when all she could do was close her eyes tightly and wait. She couldn’t risk using anymore of her gas if she wanted to make it back to the walls alive.

The tree shook. The woman lost her footing and nearly fell off the branch she was standing on when a hand grabbed her arm before she could even shoot a grappling hook to save her.

“Tch,” was the usual response. “Four-eyes, we can’t risk losing you too.”

Hanji Zoe let out a half -hearted laugh. Neither said a word. They understood the situation they were in. Stay hidden until Erwin gave the command. _If he’s still alive_. Just as the thought passed through her mind, the loud crack of a flare echoed through the forest and both Levi and Hanji looked up to see the smoke. Retreat. Relief swelled in her heart as she prepared to swing through the trees back toward the walls. The two soldiers jumped off the branch in unison, releasing their hooks and heading toward safety. With the trees zooming past them and the sounds of grappling hooks and engines echoing in the forest, Hanji Zoe couldn’t help but think out loud.

“I don’t know why Erwin took so long to call retreat. The number of titans today is unusual, I don’t know what caused—“

“Hanji!”

She turned her head to not see a man, but a tree. Turning her head further behind her, Hanji witnessed what she thought would never happen. A titan’s hand had wrapped its fingers around the wire of Levi’s grappling hook, pulling him back. Her brown eyes widened and she twisted her body towards him.

“Levi!” She screamed as she quickly holstered one handle and reached out her free hand, grabbing at the air. _Just a little bit more_.

Time seemed to slow down.

Hanji Zoe could see the distance between their hands grow less and less as the two reached for each other. Levi couldn’t die now. Erwin just gave the signal for retreat. They were going to get back inside the walls and plan their next expedition. They were going to be safe. Levi was going to nag her to take a bath and she’ll say some dumb remark about his cleaning habits.

She doesn’t remember what she said, something about cutting the cord. Her chest swelled as she felt the tears pool around the corner of her eyes. In a last attempt, she reached a little farther and she felt his fingertips brush hers.

Time sped up.

A small tug from the titan and he was out of her reach. Hanji never thought she would see the look of fear in the man’s eyes. She screamed. A force pulled her back away from the titans, away from Levi, as an arm wrapped around her waist.

If only she reacted a bit faster.

 

* * *

 

 

Brown eyes shot open. Fingers tightly clenched the blankets under her. It took a moment for Hanji to realize where she was. With shaking hands, she let go of the blankets and slowly reached her hand up to her face to rub the cold sweat off of her forehead.

_That dream again…_

Her eyes slowly moved to the clock sitting on her nightstand: 5:30 AM.

_Only two hours; could have been worse._

Struggling to sit up, Hanji attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes. For a while, she worked on bringing her breathing back to normal before she started to feel light headed. Her chest felt constricted and a crippling panic settled over her. But what was she panicking about? It was a dream. Right now she was living in a relatively quiet lifestyle on the coast of California. There was nothing to panic about, surely nothing about titans—whatever they were.

However, the reoccurring dream was starting to worry Hanji Zoe. It left her with nothing but short breaths, cold sweats, and questions. Oh, so many questions. What were titans? What is the “Scouting Legion”? Who was Levi and why did she care so much about him? Why did she feel like crying the rest of the day every time she had that dream?

_Goddamit, it’s too early to think about this._

Once the breathing calmed and once the shaking stopped, Hanji swung her legs over the side of her bed, ignoring the stack of books she knocked over. She tip toed around papers and clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor and was careful not to fall before reaching the door. Slowly twisting the doorknob, she took a deep breath and leaned her forehead against the door.

_Just a dream. Just. A. Dream._

Hanji pulled the door open and the next thing she knew, she was walking into class, fixing her tie on her school uniform. The sunlight was streaming through the windows and she heard the chatter. Party this, fundraiser that, test this, sports that. It was all the same. Rubbing her eyes under her glasses, the girl made her way toward her desk. She unceremoniously flopped into her chair and sighed deeply. Already her muscles were hurting, she felt a weight on her entire being and the last place she wanted to be was at school. Slowly, Hanji put her head on her arms and hoped that no one would notice her taking a nap at eight in the morning.

“Hanji,” A voice drifted into her ear. _Curses._ “You just got here, you can’t possibly be asleep.”

“Shut up, Mike,” Hanji mumbled into her desk. “I didn’t have a lot of sleep.”

“Do you ever?” Her friend countered with a smirk as he sat down next to her at his own desk.

“That’s true,” She started, sitting up and yawning. “But this time—“

“It was the dream?”

Hanji nodded, running a hand through the hair hanging loose around her face. She leaned her cheek on the palm of her hand and yawned again. Did she eat breakfast? She doesn’t remember. Just as the bell rang again, a buzz rose throughout the room. Mike sat up straight and looked around as Hanji furrowed her brows. The excitement felt like a wave of electricity. The two teenagers exchanged looks before Mike saw Nanaba walk into the room and waved her over.

“Know what this is all about?” He asked in a hushed whisper.

Nanaba sat down and shrugged off her bag.

“New kid apparently. Short, swears like a sailor, and has a reputation.”

Hanji yawned again.

“Oh black hair?” Nanaba nodded. “I think I passed by him. I could have sworn he smelled like a bottle of Fabuloso.”

Somehow that was the phrase that got Hanji’s attention. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Mike unconvinced.

“Fabuloso?” 

 “Come on, Han, you think I would lie to you?”

“Mm, wouldn’t doubt it.”

Mike simply shrugged. “Believe it or not, he smelled like Fabuloso. Hey, maybe he can fix your room.”

Hanji pouted slightly. “My room is fine.”

Mike scoffed.

“I don’t get it, we get new kids all the time. What’s the fuss?”

Nanaba brushed her hand through her hair as Mike sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. There was a moment of silence as Hanji looked back and forth between her two friends.

“Maybe it’s the fact that he got here without having to go through entrance exams?” Mike suggested.

“He already seems to have a reputation—some kind of delinquent. Apparently the Headmaster has taken him under his wing,” Nanaba informed.

Hanji’s eyes narrowed slightly and subconsciously at the thought. She wasn’t informed that her uncle had done such a thing. Letting out an obnoxious and tired sigh, Hanji felt the buzz die down as their homeroom teacher shuffled toward the front. Her eyelids were getting heavy once more when the teacher spoke.

“Seems like everyone has heard the news. We have a new transfer student today— _shush_.” Hanji put her head in her hand, trying to focus more on staying awake rather than paying attention. The teacher turned toward the student. “Would you like to tell everyone your name?”

“Levi.”

“Um… Your _full_ name?” The class laughed.

“I’m sticking with Levi.”

“Levi?”

 

“ _LEVI!”_

Her head slipped and a loud _thump_ echoed throughout the classroom. A single thought jarred her suddenly awake. _Levi._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers. I know this is kind of short for a first chapter but I thank everyone for reading it. I will try my best to continue this and I hope you guys enjoyed it l-;  
> Please feel free to critique this, most likely I'll hit some walls since this was kind of an impulsive thing I strung together hehe '^^  
> Anywho, thanks for reading again and I hope you stick around!  
> -TE


	2. Levi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phone calls. A lot of phone calls.

            “H-Hanji? A-Are you okay?” The teenager heard as her friend struggled to keep his laughter at bay.

            Hanji rubbed her forehead, the thought running in her mind in dizzying circles. _Levi. It… No, no. It can’t—_ She looked up to the front of her room and met with the gray eyes that felt all too familiar despite the individual they belonged to introduced himself just moments before. The image of him paralyzed her. He looked the same--he black hair, the undercut, the part, the eyes, the short stature—everything. The same. Suddenly a hundred pounds were added to the weight already bearing down on Hanji as she tried to piece together what was going on. _He looks younger, not like the dream._ Blinking a couple of times, she broke the eye contact and turned to Mike, still slowly rubbing her forehead.

            Hanji was somehow able to string words together to give a half-hearted response.

            “I’m… I’m fine.”

            Mike chortled slightly and covered his mouth with his hand to somehow physically keep the laughter inside. Nanaba lightly tapped him on the back of his head with her knuckles before shooting a concerned look in her friend’s direction. Hanji once again set her head down on her desk, her cheek on the cool surface as she tried to make sense of what was going on inside of her. She was used to the nightmares and the dreams, she’d been having them for quite some time. However, that’s all they were: nightmares and dreams. They were never supposed to leak into her reality. And here he was. Levi. Standing at the front of the classroom as the teacher slowly tries to find an empty seat in the congested room before sending him off on his first day at a new school. Soon Hanji was lost in her own thoughts.

            _Maybe I’ve met him before. Wasn’t there some kind of article that says that the faces you see in dreams are people you’ve actually met? Maybe that’s just it. Maybe I passed by him on the street. Maybe uncle had him over and I walked right past him. Maybe._

 

* * *

 

           

            “So what you’re telling me is that he was in the dreams you’ve been having for, like, the past six months?”

            Hanji paced back and forth, moving quickly between the piles of papers and books that littered her floor. Her hair was down from her usual ponytail and she ran her thin fingers through it habitually every once in a while. It fell down her back in tangled waves and she often found her fingers stuck down by the ends.

            “Yes, Petra, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Hanji replied with a tired sigh. “It’s really weird, I know—but I’m kind of going crazy.”

            “Look, I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to him. If you guys did meet, he might remember.”

            The girl groaned as she flopped onto her bed, knocking over a few books. She stared at the ceiling for a moment. It was just too bizarre. The person might as well have walked right out of her dreams. It boggled her mind.

            “I don’t know Petra,” She finally started. “I mean I feel kind of weird just walking up to him and saying something like, “Hey, so is it just me or are you having dreams about me?” He might take it on as a bad attempt at flirting.”

            There was a moment of laughter from the other end of the line.

            “No, that’s not…. That’s not what I’m suggesting…” Petra stammered out in between her laughter. “I meant just ask if you guys met before. I thought you were supposed to be the smarter one.”

            Hanji blushed slightly at her misunderstanding, but waved it off a moment later. She rubbed her eyes under her glasses and let her arm fall back onto the mattress.

            “I guess I can do that. He doesn’t seem very approachable—“

            “You’re always whining about how you can’t have a boyfriend. Maybe it’s because you don’t make the first move. People like that you know.”

            “I-I do _not_ whine about not having a boyfriend—“ Hanji exclaimed, blushing.

            “Yes you do!” Shouted a far off voice.

            “Sh-Shut up, Nana! It’s rude to eavesdrop on conversations!” There was a snicker in response by the closed door.

            “Ugh, sorry Hanji, I have to go, coach is calling me.”

            “O-okay. I’ll see you at home.”

            When Petra hung up, Hanji covered her face with her hands and let out a noise of distress. What exactly that was, no one knew. After a few minutes, she sat back up and thought for a moment. _I guess I can ask him tomorrow. I don’t even know what his classes are. Why would I know? Ughh this is getting ridiculous. Maybe I’m just hallucinating._ When Hanji left her bedroom, she heard whispers from Nanaba and Mike. Suspicious, she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

            “What are you guys doing?” She asked cautiously.

            “Yeah—oh look, she’s right here. Yeah, just talk to her now. She’s not that weird I promise—“ Hanji let out an offended gasp. “Look, just talk to her.”

            Mike quickly took one of her hands and stuffed a cell-phone in her palm. She raised her eyebrows, silently questioning him.

            “It’s Levi,” He whispered.

            Hanji’s eyes widened before looking down at the screen and back at her friend. Before she could say anything, Nanaba lifted her hand to her ear.

            “Hello?” A deep voice came from the speaker. “Is anyone there?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughh. I meant to update this a lot earlier, but I'm really lame I'm sorry OTL. I just didn't know which direction I wanted to go with this since this whole thing was kind of made on impulse. However, I kind of figured out what I want to do, this chapter is just really irritating to write because I didn't know exactly what to write.   
> Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this somewhat. I'll try and update sooner! ~TE


	3. Phone Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward phone calls and more dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very slight spoilers about character deaths that happen in canon.

            For a moment Hanji stood still. Any thought she had in mind was thrown out the window and any and all words were stuck in her throat. It took a slight shove in the back for her to regain her composure. Clearing her throat, Hanji gave a half-hearted glare in Mike’s direction before wandering off to continue her phone call.

            “U-uhm, yes, hello,” Hanji managed to get out. “I don’t know if we’ve met, I’m Hanji Zoe. We’re in the same homeroom class.”

            “Are you the girl who slept through the entire—“

            “Yes, that’s me.”

            There was a silence from the other end of the line and Hanji stopped her pacing. She twisted some of the strands of hair that framed her face around her finger compulsively. Hanji was never one for phone calls--Petra was the only person she felt truly comfortable with on the phone. It was particularly when things got silent that made her uncomfortable.

            “You’re… You’re Levi… Right?” She asked, trying to bring back conversation.

            “Yeah. I though Mike told you…?” He sounded irritated.  
            “Ah, yeah he did,” Hanji laughed nervously. “I was just wondering… Um… Have we ever met before? Ever?”  
            “No.” Levi responded, blunt.  
            “O-oh, okay,” Hanji answered slightly taken aback by Levi’s blunt answer. “W-well then, sorry for bothering you. I… I didn’t think Mike would call you.” Silence. “Okay then… Goodbye…?” _Click_.

            Hanji frowned slightly and couldn’t help feeling slightly hurt. Not hurt in the sense of how abruptly he hung up on her but hurt in a “I thought you would be different around me” way. She didn’t know exactly _why_ she felt that way. She just did. Hanji fiddled with the cell phone in her hand before walking back to the living room and handing it to Mike. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Mike ask her a question.

            “I’m sorry, what was that?” It’s not like it was her fault, she just couldn’t shake off the feeling she was having at the moment. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

            “I asked, “How did it go?””

            “Oh. He said he doesn’t remember meeting. I mean I’m sure I’ve never met him somewhere. Maybe we just bumped into each other on the street or something. Or Erwin did have him over and I walked by.”

            “It’s weird hearing you call the headmaster that,” Nanaba chimed in. “I mean, I know he’s a family friend but he’s our headmaster.”

            “I get it,” Hanji said, waving it away. What was it she was feeling? Why couldn’t she think of a word to describe it? Why did it make her so uncomfortable? She turned back to Mike and Nanaba who were getting a bit more…touchy than she was comfortable with. “Sorry guys. I’m kind of tired today, I think I want to take a nap.”

            “Oh,” Nanaba responded. Hanji nearly cringed at the look of concern that passed over her face. “You sure you’re okay? You don’t need anything?”

            “No, no. Just tired, _really_.”

            “Well okay.”

            Nanaba took Mike’s hand before the two stood up and gathered their things. She glanced over her shoulder before opening the front door and opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and shut it before walking out into the cold. When the door shut behind them, Hanji nearly collapsed onto her couch. She wasn’t exactly lying about being tired—she just wasn’t tired enough to ask her two best friends to leave. If anything, the girl was more preoccupied than anything.

            Perhaps what really unnerved her was the feeling she got when hearing his voice. She felt relief well in her chest, probably enough to make her cry if she wasn’t so confused already. To be perfectly honest, it didn’t make sense. At all! Levi is a complete stranger. Hanji was pretty damn sure you weren’t supposed to be relieved to hear the voice of a complete stranger. She let out a groan of frustration, digging the heel of her palm into her eye.

            _What is going on?_

 

* * *

            _“Hey Levi,” Hanji said from her position on the bed._

_“What?”_

_She moved her eyes to look at the back of Levi’s head. The sound of the pen scratching on paper drifted into her ears and she watched the candlelight flicker in front of him._

_“Did you know that some of the older civilizations believed in reincarnation?”_

_Outside, Hanji could hear the shouts and cheers of everyone. It was a new year celebration. The members of the Scouting Legion lived for one more year. Oddly enough, Levi and herself decided to separate themselves from the festivities. They didn’t have many friends left anyway; the celebrations were getting boring._

_“What the are you rambling about again? Older civilizations? Are you talking about before the titans?” Levi asked, hardly listening._

_“M’hmm. Some believed that when you died, depending on how well you lived your past life, you can be born again into another person or a rat.”_

_“That’s fucking ridiculous.”_

_Hanji laughed slightly at his comment. She turned her body towards him, still looking at the flickering candlelight and closed her eyes._

_“What do you think we’d be reincarnated as?”_

_Levi stopped writing. He set down his pen and turned to face her._

_“Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”_

_Hanji opened one eye before answering. “We both know we can die tomorrow. We’ve outlived well past our life expectancy in the Legion. I’m just thinking… I guess, I’m kind of hoping, that there’s something after this. That we didn’t just live like this and die like that. Maybe we’ll be rewarded. Maybe Mike, and Nanaba, and Petra, and all of those kids—maybe—“_

_Hanji felt a rough hand touch her face. She didn’t realize that she closed her eye again and she didn’t realize she was crying. Not until she felt Levi wipe her tears away. She didn’t realize her hand was clutching the blanket underneath her until he had to pry it away to hold it in his own. Hanji felt herself being raised to a sitting position and she felt arms snake around her waist before pulling her close to him. Putting his hand on the back of her neck, he gently put her head on his shoulder and let her sit there. Let her sit there until she cried, and she screamed, and she pounded his chest with her fists. Her let her stay like that until she became nothing but quiet, whispered sobs._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So writing this chapter was... interesting. I originally wrote it really not knowing what the hell I was doing and then when I kind of got a feel for a direction, I ended up making myself a bit sad ; ^ ; Oh well.


	4. Help Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi needs some help with science homework.

            “Hm?” Erd asked, looking up from his 3DS. Seeing that he was purely invested in whatever he was playing, Levi waved a packet in front of his classmate’s face.  “Oh. If you want help with a science thing, it’s probably best to go and ask Hanji. She’s kind of a genius with that kind of stuff.” Erd pointed to where Hanji _would_ have been sitting. However when Levi turned to look, he noticed that the chair was empty. Sighing irritably, Levi crossed his arms over his chest.

            “Erd, the desk is empty.”

            With a questioning look, Erd leaned back to look around his friend to notice that the desk was indeed empty.

            “Hm,” He said after a moment. “Maaybe she’s in the library?”

            “She’s probably in the lab, to be honest,” Gunter chimed in. “The girl lives in that place or something.”

            Erd nodded and then shrugged. “During breaks she’s kind of hard to track down. I heard recently she’s been having some sleeping issues so she might even be in the infirmary. I would ask Nanaba or Mike, _their_ desks aren’t empty.”

            Levi thought for a moment. “Mike… Is he the weird blood hound wannabe?”

            Erd chuckled. “Yeah, that’s him. He’s a cool guy despite his… talent. Really, Gunter and I don’t socialize with Hanji very much other than help, sorry.”

            Levi sighed through his nose and turned around when Erd and Gunther turned back to their screens again, ignoring Levi and talking between each other. Briskly, he walked over to Mike and Nanaba who were discussing something privately, their voices in hushed whispers. Nanaba was the first to notice Levi’s presence, cutting their conversation short and tapping Mike on the shoulder with her knuckles lightly. Mike took a sniff and made an intrigued face, much to Levi’s discomfort before fully facing him.

            “Sorry to interrupt, I’m just wondering where I can find Hanji.”

            Nanaba looked at Mike for a moment, giving him a puzzled look. Levi’s eyebrows twitched. He was confused and curious. _Does it have to… No it can’t._

            “Why’s that?” Nanaba asked, cautious.

            Levi lifted up the packet in his hand. “I need help. You guys know I’m a new transfer--I need help with all of this that the teacher dumped onto me.”

            “Oh,” Nanaba breathed in relief.

            “You can find her in the library,” Mike answered.

            Levi glanced at the two of them before walking out of the classroom and making his way down the hall to the library. As he did so, he flipped through the packet the teacher dropped onto his desk. (At this point, the narrator says that the teacher did in fact _drop_ the packet onto Levi’s desk. That thing was forty-five pages. It was upsetting. ) He mumbled to himself trying to see if he understood _anything_. Levi understood that private schools may have a better education, however, he didn’t think his public school was this far behind. Perhaps the school was just this far ahead. It was when it hit him that if he were to apply to this school traditionally, he wouldn’t have made it past the entrance exam.

            “What the fuck does this even mean…?” Levi mumbled, angrily flipping through the pages. “Do these rich kids really learn all of this?”

            When he neared the doors to the library, Levi put the packet under his right arm and pushed the doors open. For the most part much of the student body congregated there to socialize. _So much for a quiet study space._ He clicked his tongue as he glanced over the clumps of students hovering around computers, cell-phones, and gaming consoles. Really, Levi couldn’t believe it. There was a quad right outside the doors, surely it wasn’t _that_ hard to step outside.

            Levi frowned when he wasn’t able to find Hanji. Stuffing his hands in his pants pockets, he wondered where she could be. The library itself was huge. There were two floors filled with books and reference material… And these students decided to use it like a common room. Levi felt his body jerk forward—almost like someone bumped into him. The papers fell to the floor and he cursed under his breath.

            “Oh, I’m sorry!” A voice came from behind him. Levi turned around to find a girl juggling what seemed to be two lunch boxes in her hands along with a pile of books. She looked around the stack and gave Levi an apologetic look before glancing at the papers on the floor. “ _Oh_ ,” She looked up to Levi again before saying, “You’re Levi, right?”

            “H-how do you know my name?”

            The girl chuckled. “A lot of people are talking about you. Take it as you will. My sister talks about you a lot, too. You’re probably looking for her.”

            Levi raised his eyebrows at her comment and watched her as she maneuvered the stack on one arm—which was quite impressive, he must admit—to hold out her hand.

            “The name’s Petra.” When Levi reluctantly shook her hand, Petra’s face was covered once again. “I’ll take you to her, she’s probably asleep.”

            Petra turned around and nodded her head in a “come along” sort of way and walked off, waiting for Levi to follow. Sighing, he picked up his papers and followed.

            “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” Petra started, her voice straining from carrying the towering stack. The stack cleared well past her head. It was amazing that Levi didn’t offer to help. Not to take away from Petra’s strength, Levi just didn’t offer to help. (What a jerk.) “But Hanji’s been having a bit of sleep issues. It worries me, but she won’t have me doting on her—that’s not the way she rolls. Haha.”

            “Does she have insomnia?” Levi asked, half interested. He kept glancing at the shelves of books. They looked old, but they were sturdy and well over the price of the ones at his public school—they even had detail work carved into them. What kind of school library needed bookshelves with detail work?

            “I’m not sure,” Petra answered, turning a corner. “She talks a lot about these dreams she can’t seem to shake. They’re changing a lot though. It’s weird. Re-occurring dreams are one thing, but…”

            Levi turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. Dreams? For a moment, Levi thought he saw a woman’s face and instinctually connected to the classmate he was looking for. Which was interesting considering the fact that he’s never seen Hanji in person. Levi shook his head. _Ridiculous._

            “I’m guessing they’re dreams with the same people, just different circumstances—“ Levi said before he could stop himself. _What the fuck…?_

            Petra nodded. “Mm, yeah. I don’t know, she only tells me about the dreams, she doesn’t really say anything else other then her obvious confusion with—“

            “…With?”

            “…Uhhhm, forget I said anything—hahaha.”

            Levi scoffed slightly. They finally arrived to a small study desk in a quiet corner of the library. Just as Petra expected, Hanji was asleep, drooling on the lacquered finish. Levi scrunched his nose in disgust before sitting across from her. Petra set down the books and the lunch before lightly pushing her sister by the shoulder.

            “Hanji… Hanji… _Hanji_ wake uup.”

            When her sister continued to sleep, Petra sighed before shoving Hanji practically off the chair.

            “Wah—Petra!”

            “What? You wouldn’t wake up,” Petra explained innocently. She took a boxed lunch from the top of the stack and put it in Hanji’s hands. “Eat before lunch is over and you go hungry again.”

            Hanji yawned and Levi was suddenly reminded of a cat waking up from its many naps. She pulled the sandwich out of the box and took a bite before glancing at Levi.

            “So,” Hanji began, crumbs falling out of the corners of her lips, again much to Levi’s disgust. “What did you want?”


	5. Study Buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uh... meant to post this a long time ago and I thought I did. Sorry ; A ;

            Hanji quickly found out that Levi wasn’t a particularly warm person. When he arrived at her door, she heard Petra trying to carry what seemed to be a one sided conversation as Levi brooded and nodded. When Hanji asked if he had his packet, he stiffly said “yes” before pulling it out of his backpack and handing it to her. Two hours had passed and the two barely made a dent. This was also when Hanji realized how bad the education was at the local public school Levi attended.

            And not only was Levi cold, he was also rude as well. He didn’t know when to hold his tongue and he had an arsenal of such _colorful_ words. It wasn’t long before Petra saw the tension building between the two. It was evident that Hanji was trying to be as patient as possible, but when Levi let out a sound of frustration as he pushed the tea table away from him Petra could have sworn she saw her older sister’s lips twitch slightly. The mugs rattled and Hanji jumped back slightly. There was a moment of silence before Hanji crossed her arms and gave Levi an irritated look.

            “What now?”

            “You marked every one of those wrong!” Levi barked at her.

            “Well they _are_ wrong!” Hanji responded, matching his volume.

            “What are you talking about? I wrote it the way you told me to write it!”

            “You absolutely did not! You switched the cornea with the iris and the fovea with the retina!”

            “No I didn’t!”

            “You guys, quiet down!” Petra shouted from the kitchen. “It’s ten o’clock; people are sleeping.”

            Levi and Hanji glared at each other before he slammed his hand down on the tabletop, pointing to the figure of the eye in front of him.

            “I put them in the right spot,” He whispered angrily.

            “No you didn’t,” Hanji said mimicking him. She pulled up the worksheet she used to quiz him on, quickly pulling off the Post-It tabs covering the answers. Pointing to the differences, Hanji looked up at Levi. “You switched them.”

            There was another moment of silence before Levi went to check his errors. The twinge of embarrassment hit him as he felt the temperature in his ears rise a couple degrees. He looked over it once—twice to make sure she was right. Levi didn’t even notice when Hanji began putting her things away. He only noticed when she snatched the worksheet and stuffed it haphazardly into her folder. For a moment he was surprised. Were they finished already? He sat on the couch, momentarily stunned, as Hanji angrily stood up and walked to her room. When she came out a moment later, she walked right by him to whisper something to Petra, who looked at Levi for a moment and nodded.

            With her hands on her hips, Hanji walked back over to where Levi was lounging. The same tense silence fell over them before she sighed and subconsciously brought her hands up to her head to fix her ponytail.

            “We’re done for today,” She said, her words muffled by the hairband between her teeth. “I’m tired. Petra probably told you, but I’ve been having some sleeping problems, so I would like to get as much time for sleep as I possibly can.”

            Levi stood up hesitantly. “We only got through the first section—“

            “It’s not due until the end of the month, you have plenty of time. I can give you more help if you want.”

            Levi was surprised once again. From the way she exited, it seemed like she didn’t want anything to do with him after that experience.

            “Sure,” was all he said.

            Hanji sighed before crossing her arms and turning to Petra. As the two started their conversation, Levi noticed that Hanji’s glasses were slightly crooked and had to restrain from fixing them ~~like he used to~~. He glanced at the clock above the television and realized that he should get home before his parents started worrying. Standing up, he picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before walking to the shoe rack. Petra pointed to him over Hanji’s shoulder and she turned around, fixing her glasses.

            “I should be going home,” Levi stated simply.

            “Oh, alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

            All he did was nod before twisting the doorknob and stepping out.

            “Be careful,” Hanji called after him. _~~And come back safe~~_.


	6. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time has passed and some relationships developed. Now Hanji asks the hard questions.

            “Holy hell, why is it raining?!” Hanji shouted, booking it towards the main entrance of her apartment complex. All she wanted to do was walk down the street to the general store, grab a two liter bottle of Mountain Dew, and walk back home. As soon as she paid the clerk, there was the unmistakable sound of raindrops hitting the pavement.

            In the middle of July.

            With shivering fingers, Hanji managed to slide the key into the lock before the door swung open before her. She moved her gaze up—but not by much—to see Levi standing before her, bemused. He was wearing the same black crewneck and maroon (why maroon?) track pant ensemble that he seemed to like the past few weeks, though Hanji didn’t doubt that he religiously washed it. Or maybe he had a drawer filled with maroon track pants and countless hangers carrying black crewnecks. Honestly, she wouldn’t be surprised.

            “That was fast—“ Levi started before…

            “Oh my God, Hanji, are you okay?” Petra butt in. She rushed to her older sister, brushing Levi aside (much to his dismay), carrying a towel along with a change of clothes. “I heard the rain just _pouring._ You must be freezing!”

            “It’s the middle of July,” Levi said, closing the door behind the two.

            “And it’s one in the morning,” Hanji argued. “With a breeze.”

            Levi clicked his tongue, following them. “You’re the one who wanted to go and get a bottle of Mountain Dew—Hey, put that in the kitchen, you’re getting rainwater all over the floor.”

            Hanji stopped before turning to face him, running the towel over her hair. Levi rarely saw her with her hair down. He decided he liked. She laughed. Levi also liked the way she laughed, hearty and carefree.

            “Only you can care more about this gross carpet.”

            “It’s not gross, I cleaned it while you were gone.”

            “ _Great._ Now I have to deal with the neighbors whining about it tomorrow,” Hanji responded, chuckling a bit before… “Levi, how did you get here anyway?” The answer was his keys dangling in front of her face.

            “Since when did you drive?” She asked, and his faced twitched ever so slightly.

            “Always with so many questions…”

            “Well, you’ve been walking Petra home after track practice so that _I_ can help you with your studies, when you could’ve been driving her all along!” Said in an accusing, but lighthearted, way.

            Levi sighed and put the keys back in his pocket. “Don’t get too upset, I just got the car yesterday. Meaning this is the first time driving it.”

            Hanji laughed a little bit, drying off her hair a bit more before taking the clothes Petra had given her and walked off to her room. Levi sighed at the wet footprints Hanji left behind and sat down on the couch, leaning his head back on top of the cushions, eyes closed. Petra watched her sister walk off before turning her attention back to Levi. He looked weary and tired; it was obvious that he came to their apartment for a reason. _Did something happen at home?_ She walked up to him and put a lock of her hair behind her ear, unsure of how to ask.

            “Um…” She started.

            “What is it?” Levi asked, nonchalant and indifferent as ever.

            “Well, like Hanji said, it’s one in the morning. She was really surprised when I woke her up—“

            That piqued Levi’s interest. “She was asleep?”

            Petra nodded. “She’s been trying to get her sleep schedule back to normal, which is kind of hard when you think about it. She gets those dreams and it bothers her for days on end… Anyway, I was just wondering… Why are you over at our house?” When Levi perked an eyebrow, she waved her hands in front of her. “I don’t mean to offend—“

            “It’s ok, Petra, I get it,” Levi said sitting up. “Truth is, your sister isn’t the only one with sleeping problems and unfortunately, my family isn’t as good as you are with Hanji.”

            Petra looked away embarrassed and there was a moment of silence before Levi heard the sound of muffled footsteps coming towards them. Hanji came around the corner, taking a swig from the Mountain Dew and glanced between them, puzzled.

            “Was I being talked about or…?” She asked, capping the bottle.

            “Kind of…” Petra said, rubbing her eyes slightly. “I’m gonna go to sleep, Hanji.”

            Hanji smiled and waved her away before taking a seat on the couch next to Levi. When the two heard Petra’s bedroom door click, Hanji offered Levi the bottle of Mountain Dew and chuckled lightly when he gave her a disgusted look in response.

            “Hey, you just come here at one in the morning and I was asleep. I gotta stay awake somehow,” she said, setting the bottle at her feet on the carpet.

            “Sorry about that,” Levi apologized. “If you want, I can leave.”

            Hanji shook her head. “No, no. It’s fine. I’m awake now, and I wouldn’t mind some company.”

            She leaned back on the couch and found herself leaning against Levi unintentionally. There was a few minutes of comfortable silence passed between them before Levi decided to break it, shifting to a more comfortable position.

            “Still having those dreams?” He asked, glancing at top of her head. “And aren’t you uncomfortable?”

            Hanji moved so that she was nice and snuggly next to him. “Petra tell you about those?” She took his silence as a ‘yes’. “I have. They just… I don’t know what it is about them. They feel extremely real and they feel more like past memories rather than dreams.”

            Awkwardly, Levi put his arm on Hanji’s shoulder and she giggled a bit. _He was always like this_. At the thought, she felt herself freeze for a moment. Always? She barely knew him… And yet, she felt like she’s known him for years. Often times she felt herself thinking about the slight differences between the Levi then and the Levi now. Like how he didn’t wear a cravat anymore or how he looks different in regular clothing. Little things. But no matter how much she thought about it, Hanji knew she’s only known Levi for a little over six months. _Why does it feel longer?_

            “They’re just dreams…” Levi said, more to himself.

            “You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Hanji asked, moving her head to look at him dead in the eye. “You know what I’m talking about right?”

            There was silence again, yet this time it was heavy and uncomfortable. Hanji took a risk, asking that question. In the back of her mind she came to the conclusion that Levi _had_ to know what she was talking about. She hoped and prayed that he was having those hyper realistic dreams. She just didn’t want to be the only one--the only one that remembered. The clock above them ticked as the two looked at each other. Levi sighed and looked away.

            “…Yeah…” He admitted, gritting his teeth. “Dreams that are too fucking real to be just imagination.”

            Levi looked back at Hanji and couldn’t help but run a hand through her drying hair. It was something he missed. The funny thing is, Hanji nor Levi could pinpoint the exact moment they started acting like this, something more than platonic friends. It just grew. What started off as just meager tutoring lessons became spending time with a friend that then became something more. Things like this: Levi running his fingers through her hair and Hanji cuddling up with him on the couch. They were things that just began happening that neither stopped because it felt right. But there it was. _I missed this._

            “Do you find it weird,” Hanji began to ask, bringing Levi back to the reality. “That there’s a huge gap in our history?”

            “What do you mean?”

            Hanji shifted her body so that her chin was on his chest and she was looking directly at him. “I mean, if you look in all of our history books. You have everything from the dinosaur age, to the ice age, etc. etc. but there’s a spot—it’s almost unnoticeable if you’re not looking for it, but there’s this spot in history that’s just… blank. Thousands of years, just empty.”

            Levi sensed her frustration and furrowed his eyebrows together. Did this have to do with the dreams they were just talking about? Gently pushing her bangs back with his hand, Levi continued with the conversation.

            “What’s with the sudden concern?”

            Instead of eagerly answering the question, Hanji hesitated. This made Levi curious. Was there something she didn’t want to ask? Or was she afraid of his reaction? He tried his best to look encouraging. Levi wanted her to ask. He loved hearing her talk about her ideas and her theories, no matter how ridiculous. It was nice to see the spark in her eyes and it was refreshing.

            “….Well,” Hanji started, playing with the fabric of his shirt. “Do you believe in reincarnation?”

            Levi raised an eyebrow. “Reincarnation?”

            Hanji nodded. “Yeah… Like dying and then… well it’s pretty self explanatory, but do you?”

            He thought it over for a moment. “What are you getting at?”

            “These dreams. We both agree they feel too real to be just imagination right? And we’ve talked about this; we’ve had almost the same dreams, just our perspectives are different. All of the stuff we dream about… Titans, the walls, the Scouting Legion, Erwin being a commander… We even had them before we met each other, Levi. Are you telling me this is something else?”

            Levi sighed and stopped playing with her hair.

            “Hanji, I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. If I’m going to be honest, I’m pretty fucking convinced. Is that why you had all of those books from the library?”

            “You mean when we first met?” Levi nodded. “Yeah. I was already thinking about it, but now I’m sure.”

            “Which is why you brought up the thing about history…”

            “Mm’hm. What if it’s one of those things where the government ordered the destruction of all kind of documents and records regarding what happened during those thousands of years? What if that’s what happened…?”  Hanji finished her last question with a yawn, which Levi couldn’t help chuckling at.

            He shifted again, fully lying down on the couch with Hanji on top of him, playing with her hair once again. The continuous and gentle movement of his fingers running through her hair was making her drowsy again. Hanji began to mumble something before Levi brought her up so that he can rest his chin on her head.

            “Go to sleep, four eyes. Tomorrow’s Saturday, you can afford to sleep in a little.”

            “But Levi…”

            “We can talk about it tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I'm so sorry for being MIA for months. I've been really busy and then this kind of was forgotten OTL. HOWEVER, I have come back and I intend on to finish this or at least continue this because I love this ship too much. As a sorry, I wrote this chapter a lot longer than my usual ones. I'll try my best to keep updating more consistently. 
> 
> Levi doesn't really need tutoring anymore, his grades are fine and he's not completely lost. However, he hangs out at Hanji and Petra's house because... well.


End file.
